Chad President concludes two-day visit to Sudan

The Chadian President Idris Deby has concluded his two-day visit to Sudan on Tuesday. His meetings with President Omar al Bashir and First Vice President Bakri Hassan Salih focused on the situation in Darfur and the Central African Republic, border issues and security in the region. Deby also had several meetings with the High-Level Mechanism for the Implementation of Decisions of the Um Jaras Forum for Peace, Security and Development in Darfur. General Bakri Hassan Salih met with Deby on Tuesday morning. Their talks concentrated on Darfur and the situation in the region. The First Vice President said in a press statement after the meeting that he and the President of Chad had exchanged detailed briefings of the situation in their countries. Presidents Al Bashir and Deby addressed the Gathering of Darfur Leaderships at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum on Tuesday. The Chadian President expressed his appreciation for President Al Bashir’s keenness to work for achieving a lasting peace in Darfur. He pointed out that the current stability in Darfur, which is “much better than in the last years,” is a good indication that peace in Darfur and the region will be achieved shortly. He pledged to cooperate with the people of Darfur for achieving peace and stability.Deby, however, also held the people of Darfur responsible for the continuation of the war, “for the suffering of the children, the displaced and the refugees”. He accused “some of the Darfuris” of supporting the armed rebel movements and refusing to stop the killing and destruction by the rebels. The Chadian president therefore called on the people of Darfur “to live up to their responsibilities and pressure the armed movements in the region to join the peace process”. President Omar Al Bashir pledged to work for realisation of security and stability in the coming year and praised Deby’s efforts for achieving peace and stability in Darfur and consolidating the relations between Sudan and Chad. The Gathering was addressed by the Minister of Justice, Mohamed Bushara Dosa, who also praised the efforts of President Idris Deby for boosting the peace process in Darfur, describing the Forum of Um Jaras as an honest endeavour and a qualitative forum for solving “the issue of Darfur”. He stated that the people of Darfur reject the use of violence and have voiced their serious desire for peace through Um Jaras Forum.  Late October, President Deby hosted a two-day conference on Darfur in Um Jaras in Chad. The conference was attended by Dr Tijani Sese, chairperson of the Darfur Regional Authority, Dr Amin Hassan Omar, the head of the Darfur Peace Follow-up Office, and other members of the Sudanese government. During the conference, Deby allegedly announced his intention “to launch a fierce war on the non-signatory armed movements to the Doha peace document”.The Sudanese Minister of Justice later described the Forum as “a valuable addition” to the 2011 Doha Document for Peace in Darfur.  File photo: President Idris Deby and President Omar Al Bashir (SUNA) Related: Sudanese Justice Minister defends Um Jaras Forum (27 November 2013) Chad President ‘interfering in Sudanese affairs’: Rebels (4 November 2013) Non-signatory armed movements may join Darfur peace process: Sese (1 November 2013) Tijani Sese arrives in Chad (17 October 2013)